Meanwhile, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales defended himself Monday in an NBC interview, asserting that he had not misled Congress or the public when he declared that he had not participated in discussions or seen documents about the firings.

NPR: Gonzales Aide to Take Fifth Before Senate Panel

Many believe, as the Afghan president himself said this week, that he was simply asserting his country's sovereignty against meddling foreigners.

ECONOMIST: President Karzai threatens to join the Taliban

Yet he simultaneously claimed a huge retrospective dividend for himself from the privatised utilities (the windfall tax), asserting that this would have no impact on investment by these firms.

ECONOMIST: A disappointing start

As a way of asserting that his medical studies (a concession to his physician father) were in vain, Berlioz threw himself out the window of a dissecting lab.

NPR: 'The Childhood Of Christ' In Concert